Is Anti-Virus Software Necessary?

Absolutely not! You can safely run your computer without antivirus software as long as you don’t connect it to the internet, transfer files to and from your computer or install any programs to your computer. The safest computer is one that is Air-Gapped and port-free, assuming that the initial installation was virus-free. The problem is, the way we use computers now we want it all. We want to be able to quickly add a program from the Play/Chrome/Apple/Windows store. We want to be able to download files, movies, images, programs, and memes from the internet and we want to share all that with other computers at home and on the internet. So if you plan to use your computer as most humans do then by all means, please run antivirus software or be prepared to wipe that hard drive and rebuild your computer on a regular basis.

Actually, on second thought, if you are going to put your computer on my network, then you better have antivirus software on it so you don’t infect my computer. If you care about your friends and family then you won’t go around infecting them with viruses (computer or biological). There are many good antivirus programs out there, some are more invasive than others and some will constantly nag you to buy their next higher version of security, but please don’t let that stop you from buying or installing one of the free antivirus solutions out there. PC Magazine, Consumer Reports, and several other trusted sources have reviews of the latest antivirus applications for those of you that like to do the research. For those of you that don’t like to do the research, I do have a couple of favorites that I recommend and have used personally.

I currently am selling a one-year subscription of Avast Business Antivirus for $36/year per PC. This program has a very small footprint, running in the background and is barely noticeable by the user. One of the best features for my clients is that with that subscription the status of their computers is monitored by me on a regular basis. I can see if a PC is infected, if the antivirus software is running, and if the PC is on or off at the time. I can also connect to that PC, with the owner’s permission, and assist them with any PC issues remotely. Let me know if you want to sign up for my antivirus program by filling out the contact form or emailing me.

For those of you pinching pennies, please consider at least installing the free version of Avast which you can download from their website.